The Catholic Counter-Reformation: the Jesuits and the Council of Trent
- Date
- 27 September 1540
- Category
- Religion & ideology
- Region
- Italy and the Catholic world
- Era
- Early Modern
- Significance
The Catholic Church mounted a sustained response to the Reformation through institutional renewal and doctrinal clarification.
On 27 September 1540 Pope Paul III confirmed the Society of Jesus through the bull Regimini militantis ecclesiae, establishing the Jesuit order founded by Ignatius of Loyola. Organised with military discipline and a special vow of obedience to the pope, the Jesuits became leaders in education, missionary work across the Americas and Asia, and the reconversion of Protestant regions. Between 1545 and 1563 the Council of Trent, an ecumenical council convened by Paul III and continued under later popes, met across three periods. It reaffirmed Catholic teaching on scripture and tradition, original sin, justification, the sacraments and the Mass; condemned Protestant doctrines as heresy; and enacted reforms against clerical abuses such as the sale of indulgences, pluralism and poorly trained clergy, mandating seminaries to educate priests. Together the Jesuits and Trent defined the Counter-Reformation, halted the spread of Protestantism in much of southern and central Europe, and shaped Catholic doctrine and practice into the modern era.
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Empires active in 27 September 1540
- Songhai Empire1464 CE – 1591 CE
- Ming Dynasty1368 CE – 1644 CE
- Ottoman Empire1299 CE – 1922 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
Related religion & ideology events
- Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the start of the Reformation31 October 1517
- Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and the Reformed tradition1536
- St Bartholomew's Day Massacre24 August 1572
- Shah Ismail I proclaims Twelver Shi'ism the state religion of Iran1501
- Edict of Nantes ends the French Wars of Religion13 April 1598
- Compilation of the Adi Granth, Sikh Scripture1604 CE
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Religion
Accessible sweep of humanity's faiths and belief systems from prehistory to the present.
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